Justicia ladanoides Lam.

A herb. It grows for one or two years. It grows 2 m tall. It can be hairy. The base is often swollen and has aerial roots. The leaves are opposite and each pair is at right angles to the next. The leaf stalk is up to 6 cm long. The leaves are narrowly oval and 1-11 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. The flowers have both sexes. They are usually bright red. The fruit is an oval capsule. It is 10 mm long by 3 mm wide. It splits open with force. There are 4 seeds.

Occurs in a wide range of habitats from moist rainforest to dry savannah regions, from sea-level up to elevations of 2,600 metres. It is also found in waste and cultivated land, refuse heaps, grassland and forest edges.

The leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They are used in soups and stews.

Plants can be grown by seeds or cuttings. Stem cuttings about 15 cm long are used. Plants need to be 30-40 cm apart. Because fruit split open the seeds get scattered so seed collection is difficult.